On 19 Dec 2006 10:48:01 -0800, "John" wrote:


Ha ha . . . I wonder if I would be crazy to suggest . . . the Vought
F7U Cutlass (aka Gutless, aka Ensign Killer [probably one of several
deserving of that name[)

Replace the POS's that it had for engines with a pair of real
powerplants (no, I'm not sure what would fit),

I suspect a pair of J52's would fit nicely. Just think what that
machine would do with nearly 20,000# of thrust????? Hell, even the
GE85's of the T-2 and T-38 would have been an improvement - at least
they were reliable!


If I can get someone very clever to the play with the aerodynamics,
figure out a way to trick the air flowing over the wings in such a way
that it could be flown slow with less deck angle, to improve visibility
and to allow for a shorter and lighter nose gear.

Bleed air boundary layer control would probably help with that, along
with an improved slat design. A better fix might be to just extend the
forward fuselage a few feet. Always seemed to me to be a tail-heavy
design.

John Alger USN(ret)
1972-1997 // 1310,1320
TA-4J, A-7E, EC-130Q, P-3B